Artefacts and Material Culture

Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity

College of Arts and Law

Details

Code 24037

Level of study Second Year

Credit value 20

Semester Scheduled for 2, 2013-14

Pre-requisite modules n/a

Other pre-requisites n/a

Module description

Artefacts and material culture lie at the heart of archaeological enquiry, intrinsic to studies of chronology, technology, social action, art, symbolism and sensory experience. Artefacts are also primary media for representing the past in museums - a key point of contact for public engagement with cultural heritage.
In this module you will explore the ways in which artefacts are recovered, curated and displayed for modern audiences, and how archaeologists interpret material culture and relationships between beliefs, knowledge, action and artefacts (e.g. in relation to fundamental aspects of human existence such as technology, religion, identity and power).